When: Monday 12th November, 10:25am – 11:25am
Where: Theatre, Level 2 down the stairs to the right of the registration/foyer area
Hashtag: #M3

Consistent and inconsistent style has had fascinating impacts in many fields of communication. Arguably, some of the highest stakes exist in science communication, where complexity meets diverse audiences, and matters of health, innovation and safety depend on technical texts being understood down to the letter. Join our panel in conversation, as we delve into the applications and implications of style in technical writing. Journey back as we look at some of the historic styles in science communication, and the way linguistics has influenced the often highly emotional attachment we have to certain style conventions. We’ll unpack style preconceptions, how we determine what’s ‘right’ and what’s ‘wrong’ in matters of science style, and go through some interesting examples of the good, the bad and the ugly. Add a dash of technology as we learn about Macquarie University’s research into what eye tracking technology can tell us about the ways we digest information. We’ll also touch on the science style resources available to science communicators.

This 45 minute session includes 15 minutes of Q&A at the end. We look forward to sharing a thoroughly engaging science style conversation with you!

Join panellists Dr Janet Salisbury, founder and Director of Biotext; Emeritus Professor Pam Peters, Macquarie University Department of Linguistics, Gab Lhuede, National Publications Manager for St John Ambulance; and panel Chair, Toss Gascoigne, a founding member of Australian Science Communicators, and a veteran science communicator.

Session Producer, Presenter

Dr Janet Salisbury, Founder and Director, Biotext

Session Chair

Toss Gascoigne, Visiting Fellow, Australian National University

Presenter

Emeritus Professor Pam Peters, Emeritus Professor, Department of Linguistics, Macquarie University

Gabrielle Lhuede, National Publications Manager, St John Ambulance Australia